Publications by authors named "Nan-Kuang Hsieh"

Background: Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) is a strong neutrophil activator and has been used to induce acute lung injury (ALI). Niacinamide (NAC) is a compound of B complex. It exerts protective effects on the ALI caused by various challenges.

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Host factors play an important role in determining the immune response and development of leprosy. The human leukocyte antigen system (HLA) has repeatedly been found to be associated with the pathogenesis of leprosy. This study analyzes the polymorphism of the HLA class I and II antigens in multibacillary leprosy patients and a healthy control group to provide predictable prognostic indicators and/or a differential diagnostic for the disease.

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Acid aspiration or intrapulmonary instillation of gastric particles causes lung inflammation leading to acute lung injury (ALI). Hypercapnia exerts different effects on ALI caused by various insults. The effects of hypercapnia on lung inflammation and injury due to acid aspiration are yet to be determined.

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We investigated the involvement of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitor (TIMP) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the renal damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) following nitric oxide (NO) deprivation. SHR received Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) from 5 wk-old for a period of 30 days. An ETA antagonist, FR139317 was used.

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Objectives: Oleic acid has been used to induce acute lung injury (ALI) in animals. In patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the blood level of oleic acid was increased. The mechanism and therapeutic regimen of ARDS and oleic acid-induced ALI remain undefined.

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In the present study, we determined the vascular functions using a canine model of isolated intestinal segment perfused with constant flow. The effects of an NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and an NO synthase inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) on the vascular factors (resistance, exchange and capacitance) were evaluated. In condition of venous pressure at 0 mmHg, we determined and calculated arterial pressure (Pa) and capillary pressure (Pc).

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Aortic stiffness (AS) exerts significant impact on the cardiovascular risks. We developed a new model to produce AS. The purposes were to evaluate the haemodynamic consequence and to correlate the haemodynamic parameters with the extent of ventricular hypertrophy (VH).

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Nitric oxide (NO) is an important gas molecule that plays a pivotal role in physiology and pathology in various systems. Our laboratory has been working on the hypertensive cardiovascular disorders and pulmonary edema for more than 30 years. In this brief review article, we have described the role of NO in hypertension, pulmonary disorders, sepsis, and to some extent, the endothelial factors on the arterial baroreceptors and cerebral blood flow.

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Leprosy is rarely seen in organ transplant patients; only ten cases of leprosy in organ transplant recipients have been reported. We herein report a Taiwanese renal transplant recipient concomitantly infected with borderline lepromatous leprosy. A 68-year-old male received renal transplantation at Guilin, China, in 2000, and then received immunosuppressive therapy with prednisolone, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate.

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1. Inflammatory changes in peripheral arteries have been reported in animal models of hypertension. Whether they occur in cerebral arteries (CA) with hypertension induced by deprivation of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) remains unknown.

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